Here We Go Again!
by Gotta Have My Choco
Summary: With the otaku Kazumi back in the time period of her favorite anime, and her knight in shining armor Sesshomaru at her side, everything is right with the world! At least that's what she thinks. Join Kazumi as she goes through the domestic problems of becoming Sesshomaru's mate and the conflicts that come along with it. Disclaimer: Still don't own InuYasha, or its characters.
1. A Start At The End

**PAUSE! Before reading this, it is suggested that the story before this, "Oops I Did It Again!" is read completely for the best experience! PLAY!**

I thought we would get mated right away, but that didn't happen. I understand that I've been gone for three years and all, but still, it's very disappointing. Especially now that I have to have dancing, speech, and manners lessons alongside training to use my powers, I am oh so very disappointed. I'm glad I got into some sports during those three years, but they are nothing compared to this! Every day, I go to bed worn out and beaten to a pulp. Don't get me started on the lactic acid fermentation that's going on through every part of my body. Some nights I just want to scream "LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION! DEAR GOD, MAKE IT STOP!" Other nights, like tonight, Rin runs into my room and throws her eleven year old body on me. I don't complain about how it hurts my body because I love the girl to death. I'm glad that she's staying with me instead of going to the village. That's a change I'm glad I brought on.

"Kazumi-san, let's go to the garden!" the young brunette said excitedly.

"Rin, it's almost dark. You know that Sesshomaru would be upset if you are not in bed by then." I told her as I lifted her off my torso and sat her on the bed next to me.

"Rin- I only want to see the sunset! Then I promise to come in and go to sleep. Please!"

"Rin…"

"Pretty, pretty please? Just this once?"

I shouldn't have looked in her eyes. I'm weak when it comes to the puppy dog eyes. How can others stare into this face and say no?

"Fine, but only this on time. Next time is definitely no." I sighed.

"Yeah! We need to hurry or else we'll miss it!"

Rin took my hand and started to fast walk, bringing me along. Color me impressed when I saw her in action. She knew the manor like the back of her hand, taking the least walked hallways (the ones I didn't know existed), slipping to different halls when someone came onto the one we were on, and never losing her way. She even managed to lose two of the guards that saw us. Exactly how long has she been doing this? At this point she seemed to be a professional at this. She was so stealthy, she really could be a ninja…

We went up a hill in the garden and sat in front of the only tree on it. We were able to see the entire garden (which was much bigger than I remember), the manor, and some of the village, which seemed to be decorating for something.

"Kazumi-san, do you see that big part of the garden?" Rin asked me as she pointed to the large amount of land to my left. "Lord Sesshomaru made that a garden in memory of you when you left. We were both really sad, and so Lord Sesshomaru made it so we would never forget you."

That explains why the garden is much bigger than I remember. After looking at it longer, Rin's words replayed in my mind. They had built a memory garden for me. I had left that much hurt on both of them, and I feel bad for it. At the same time, it warms my heart. The stoic and inflexible Lord of the Western Lands had missed me.

"You should not speak of things so easily." Sesshomaru said, startling the color out of my skin.

It came back as quickly as it left as Rin laughed.

"Why are you not in bed?" he asked both of us.

"Rin wanted to see the sunset with Kazumi-san."

That third-person speaking habit is going to go away easily. I patted the ground next to me, and Sesshomaru sat there. I leaned against his shoulder and gazed at my memory garden. I'll have to change the name since I'm not dead. Having just the three of us there made the moment that much more special. It felt as though we were family, and after all the crap we've been through, we might as well be. Actually, in a couple of months, we will be (I consider the word "ward" as "daughter" when it comes to Sessho and Rin). Honestly, I can't wait, but from what I've heard, it's going to hell for a bit. Demonesses can get feisty, but I've been to high school. I think I can handle it, and if I can't they can take their complaints to my fists. Okay, maybe not my fists… definitely not my fists, I know when I'll lose a fight… not that I've ever lost one… okay, to be honest, I've never been in a fist fight outside of Skyrim and The Sims. You know what, scratch that, if they have complaints, they can take them to Sesshomaru. I should have just said that to begin with.

**A/N: I'mmmmmmmmmmmm baaaaaaaacccccccckkk! Geez, it's been like two months. Blame it on all the school work! There is no reason I should come home at 4 o'clock p.m. and work 'till 12 a.m., just to wake up at 5 a.m. to finish! Anyway, hope you enjoyed, hopefully I'll be putting chapters up periodically!**


	2. Some Old Friends

The next morning was a beautiful one. After rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I was able to see the warm orange and golden rays of sunlight reflecting on the dew covered grass. The clouds parted, showing the rising sun, as it peaked over the distant mountains. I could tell that it was going to be a good day. There's no way that the morning would look this good, just to unfold as a horrible day.

After getting dressed and eating some breakfast, I went to the library. I had the day off, and was going to make the best of it. I picked up a book, _The Kingdom_, and started reading. I was hoping that it would be something exciting, like a folklore about a peasant that somehow became a king and his several tribulations throughout his story and stuff, but no. It was about a real kingdom and its history. I'm no good with history, at all, and like I do while reading any history book, I ended up falling asleep while reading the third page.

I woke up to someone opening the door. I wiped the small amount of drool off the corner of my mouth as I listened to what the maid had to say.

"My Lady, you have guests." She told me.

I scrunched my eyebrows together out of confusion. Why would I have guests? I don't know anyone outside of the castle that Sesshomaru would let in; much less would he let them see me personally. I got up and put away the book, mentally reminding myself to not pick it up again. I followed the maid, fixing anything out of place. I didn't want anything to be out of place, especially if it's Sesshomaru's mom. I don't want her to point them out and then try to fix them herself. To say the least, that's embarrassing. She's already done it before, and she ended up stripping me down and putting me in a kimono she had brought for me. It was really fancy, and showy, and heavy, and it made everyone look at me, and Sesshomaru didn't like that. Everything was just a mess that day, a complete, evitable mess.

As the maid and I got closer to my guests, I was worries if the guest being InuKimi or someone I didn't know were dispelled. I could tell by the arguing that it was Kagome and InuYasha. Hearing their usual arguing put a smile on my face.

"Kazumi! It's been so long since I've seen you!" Kagome exclaimed as she hugged me the moment I came into her sight.

"It hasn't been more than two months." I told her.

"That's a long time!"

I chuckled. She hadn't changed at all. "So how are Sango and Miroku?"

"Those two? They're fine for the most part. Did you know that they've had three children?"

"Three little bundles of joy, I guess."

"Yeah…"

There was a moment of silence between us.

"So when do you plan on having your own?" Kagome asked me.

"Uh, well… I'm not exactly mated to Sesshomaru yet, so…"

"I see…"

"What about you? You're married to InuYasha, I'm sure there's nothing stopping you."

"Oh, well…"

She blushed harder than I had ever seen. I'm guessing that they're trying.

"Anyway, what brings you to this part of the world?" I asked as a mean to get rid of the awkwardness of the situation.

"We were just passing by." InuYasha chimed in.

"Liar." Tricking me wouldn't be so easy now. "You know, you're my friend to, so you don't have to act so tough in front of me."

"Why would I want to act tough in front of you?" was his question.

"I don't know, maybe because you're in your older brother's manor and don't want to seem weak. That's just my guess." I said nonchalantly. "That doesn't matter though, I know you well enough."

He stared at me before he reverted his attention back to his wife.

"So how are you?" Kagome asked.

"Other than being sore every other day from training, I guess I'm fine." I couldn't help but to smile. It was nice having a friend over.

"Aunty Kagome!" I heard Rin yell as she ran and hugged Kagome. When she got here, I don't know.

"Hey, Rin, it's nice to see you too. Wow, you've been growing!" Kagome exclaimed as she hugged the little girl back.

"It just now occurred to me; we'll be sisters after I mate with Sesshomaru." I told Kagome.

We both stared at each other before smiling. I turned and faced InuYasha. He gave me a look, telling me not to go there with him. Of course I would anyway.

"And you'll be my brother." I told InuYasha.

He sighed.

"Oh wow, you've matured quite a bit since I last saw you." I said with pure surprise in my voice. He would have gotten angry with me before if I did something he blatantly told me not to do, even though it wasn't that blatant.

It was during that moment of bliss when I felt a cold feeling wash over my spine. I stopped in my tracks along with everyone else.

"Would someone care to explain why this Sesshomaru was not informed of this gathering?"

**A/N: Ooh! Someone's in trouble!  
>I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Apparently, my writing isn't descriptive enough and choppy, so I'll try to fix that and make it easier to follow. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	3. Domesticated?

Our ship may have just crashed and burned on the rocky shores of paradise. Who thought it was a bright idea to NOT tell Sesshomaru? This is HIS manor! And I'm not going to say that the relationship between Sesshomaru and InuYasha has gotten better than it was before. Sparks of tension were flying in the air the moment InuYasha and Sesshomaru made eye contact. At the rate things were going, InuYasha was going to do something stupid.

"Hey, hey, don't fight! Save that for later. Right now, we should all just relax."

I tried to mediate, but they, unfortunately, downright ignored me.

"If you have a problem with it, deal with it." InuYasha said as he turned his back toward Sesshomaru.

"You're not making the situation better!" I whispered/yelled at InuYasha.

"I couldn't care less! If that bastard has a problem with me, he ought to deal with it."

"It would have been settled if you were never born." Sesshomaru said cooly.

"It would have been settled if you weren't such an arrogant asshole." InuYasha shot back, baring his fangs already.

After exhaling, I grabbed InuYasha's ear and pulled. He yelped slightly from surprise. I glared at his childish face.

"I don't care how upset you are. Don't you DARE curse in front of Rin, and would you both stop acting like babies?! You're grown men, it's unseemly." I scolded.

InuYasha's ears flattened, and Sesshomaru averted his gaze. At least they weren't at each other's throats for the moment. I sighed and formally invited them in. I could tell Sesshomaru didn't agree with my decision, but the glance I shot him got him to ignore them at best. I took Rin's hand and showed the two to someplace other than the main foyer. We caught up as we walked and I told them some ground rules. The rules weren't anything outrageous, things like no cursing, no wandering, no arguing with Sesshomaru as though you want to get kicked out of the manor, or your but handed to you. Nothing too complicated.

"Now that things have calmed down a bit and we're relaxed, how are things at the village?" I asked as we all sat down in a lounge room.

"It's fine for the most part, but you know there will always be those hard times." Kagome replied.

"That's for sure."

A maid came in and served us all tea. After taking a sip of the tea that was already sweetened to my liking and thanking the maid, I continued the conversation.

"I never really thought about it while you guys were searching for the jewel shards, but a lot of bad things were happening. I thought at least some of them would go away after everything was said and done, but they haven't. It's taken such a long time to get things back in order, and it kills me, knowing that I'm sitting here happily while others are barely able to live day by day."

"You can't fix the world."

"I know, I know, but I'd at least like to try and fix something, you know? Not just be the pretty lady at the side."

**Isn't that exactly what you did when you were "helping" them fight Naraku?' [I]**

'Shut up! Shut! Up!' [Me]

"That's a great goal, but would Sesshomaru give you the liberty of doing that?"

"Well, to a certain extent."

"I don't think letting you roam around the castle town for no more than a few minutes with guards protecting you will help others."

I only sipped my tea.

"Wait, I'm right?" Kagome questioned.

I put down my cup and looked outside.

"It's a beautiful day today." I noted.

"Oh my goodness, he doesn't let you go out."

"It's a dangerous world. Turns out that people hate me because Sesshomaru chose me over their daughters."

"But still!"

"Well, what he says tends to not get me hurt, and when I make decisions, I tend to end up hurt."

"You've got to be kidding me." InuYasha finally chimed in. "You're going to let him control every aspect of your life?!"

"No." I said as I took another sip of tea.

"That's what it sounds like." Kagome told me.

"Things sound like lots of things."

"That makes no sense."

"Because you don't understand the context. You see, my dear friends, there are things that Sesshomaru knows that none of us know. We see things out of context. He may keep me inside because he knows there's an assassin waiting for me to screw up, but we wouldn't know that."

"That's hypothetically speaking, right?" Kagome asked, very worried.

"Yes, and no. I don't know."

"Kazumi-san, it is almost time for my lessons."

"Oh, go ahead."

The little tot walked out of the room before starting her skip to the library. The room was quiet as InuYasha and Kagome stared at me. I finished my tea and put the cup aside.

"It's as though she's been domesticated." Kagome whispered to InuYasha.

"I should have seen it coming." InuYasha whispered back.

"You know I can hear you both, right?" the two separated and sat stiffly as they looked at their hands. "There were events when people were out to get me before Naraku was even terminated. Now that basically everyone knows that I am 100% going to be Sesshomaru's mate, how much more danger will there be?"

"Still…" Kagome started.

"Still nothing, I've decided that Sesshomaru's right, and I'm going to stick with it this time."

**A/N: I wish I could forget about my forever alone life and just fanfic all day and all night, but alas, my dream will never come true… Sorry for making you all wait again and that it's not much. **** I really am trying. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for the support! **


	4. Party Hard?

We dropped the subject and enjoyed each other's company for once. Around noon, they left so they could get back to their village before sunset. After seeing them off, I tried to return to my room. The second I opened the door, I was pulled in and given a bath. I could tell that someone was a little upset because of my visitors. After being soaked from head to toe and getting scrubbed as though I had weeks' worth of dirt on my body, I was dried. I was going to have a nice chat with Sesshomaru. At least that was my plan until the maids started to really dress me up. They took their time as they dressed me in a couple of layers until they put on the last one. It was bluish-black with a mountain depicted on it. In the sky depicted near my chest, a crescent moon hung, with golden and white rays softly radiating off of it. My hair was held flat until it dried, and was then brushed. The maids painted my face in makeup and then left me in the room.

'I think something special is going down today.' [Me]

**You think? [I]**

_Could you stop being rude for a second? [Myself]_

'Why you gotta be so rude?' [Me]

_Don't start that. [Myself]_

**Oh, so you can be rude and I can't? [I]**

_That wasn't being rude. [Myself]_

**Then how was I rude? If anything, I was sarcastic! [I]**

_Kill me now. [Myself]_

'What would be going on, and why wouldn't Sesshomaru tell me about it?' [Me]

**I'd guess that it's a surprise. [I]**

'Still, he would at least have told me a couple of minutes before, right?' [Me]

_Well you were hanging out with InuYasha and Kagome, weren't you? [Myself]_

'Oh yeah… that's probably why…'[Me]

_I wonder what it is. [Myself]_

**Just don't embarrass us. [I]**

'I'd rather die than embarrass myself. Who knows what my manners teacher would do, and I honestly don't want to find out.' [Me]

I laid down against the bed and took a deep breath. It was time to become as stolid and unemotional and impassive and indifferent and cold and unresponsive as possible. If those people were to see the smallest flaw in me, they would never let it down.

After shaking the nerves out of my body, a maid came and told me to follow her. I have no idea what is happening, but I'll go through with it anyway. I couldn't stop my mind from wandering. What was going to happen? Was it another dinner with some other noble? Maybe his mother was visiting again. I doubt that though, I wouldn't be this fancy for his mother. She likes me the way I am. Yeah, it's probably another dinner.

I was close enough. I just underestimated. We had about, umm… one, two, three,… fifty. I honestly should have known better. Sesshomaru wouldn't have decked me out in all this fancy gear for just two or three nobles. Anyway, when I walked out, I was surprised to see so many demons with such domineering presences all at once. I let go of the surprise and smiled warmly at the first few I greeted. I ignored the glares I received from majority of the young women, and tried to be a good hostess.

That was until Sesshomaru entered. Like I had been taught, I stopped talking. "Once in the presence of the dominant male, one should refrain from speaking unless given permission by the dominant male." That's what Teach taught. A lot of the rules of this day don't make sense to me. Majority of them deal with dominance… I wonder why. I know, I know, it's patriarchy with all its male glory, but still. It's like dominance left and right. Why can't we all just love each other for who we are, male or female? Why must one be subordinate? Sure, there's the whole "someone has to be in charge" argument but still. Anyway, that's beside the point. Wait, what was my point? …When it comes to customs and traditions, you just don't question it sometimes. Being dominant doesn't really have anything to do with loving each other, does it? No! Stay on topic! Don't let your fatal flaw of not being able to stay on topic when writing English essays get to you!

Once Sesshomaru spotted me, he came over. The people parted, not daring to obstruct his way. I waited silently as he signaled his approval of me speaking. The first thing I did was bow and give my short vote of thanks.

"I thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."

Doesn't seem like much, right? Wrong, Teach told me that once someone forgot to do that little thank you sign and was sentenced to death for it. I know Sesshomaru wouldn't kill me over it, but it would be a huge deal to overlook apparently. I don't know the history of all these things that are required and stuff, but I do know that I have to do it.

He held his hand out, and I took it of course. Everyone continued with their own conversations, and most of them took their eyes off of me. Sesshomaru led me to the group of six demons with the largest auras. As we approached, the man with red hair was the first to come out and say something.

"I knew that when you settled on a mate, she would be a fine catch, but I didn't think she would be such a jewel." He said as he looked over me.

"I would accept no less."

After catching up a bit more, Sesshomaru finally introduced me.

"Kazumi, this is the lord of the eastern lands, Ryuu, and his mate. The one beside him is Ren, lord of the northern lands. Then there is Karou, lord of the southern lands and his mate."

"I am honored to be in your presences." I said as I bowed.

"We have been waiting to see the woman that wooed the cold lord of the western lands." Ren commented.

"I am glad that I have met your expectations." I said with a smile.

"I suggest not showing that smile to others. Even Sesshomaru can get jealous." Ryuu cautioned.

"My lord has nothing to be jealous of. I do not plan on straying from his side."

After a day of meeting and greeting, and a night of drinking and revelling, I was exhausted and drunk. I went out to the balcony to get some fresh air. Even though it's sophisticated, those demons sure do know how to party hard. For my first time drinking, I think I'm doing a pretty good job. I'm scared my liver might shut down, but that's okay. I'll grow a new one. Who would have thought that, that so many people would give toasts? There's not even a toaster here! After hiccupping, I lost the little balance I had. I was lucky enough to be caught by a nice fellow that was also out getting air. I was kind of surprised to see that it was the lord of the northern lands.

"You must be careful; otherwise someone might snatch you away from Sesshomaru."

"Thank you for the advice." I said as I bowed apologetically.

When I returned to my standing position, the lord spoke again.

"These Inus have a tendency of choosing a second woman to keep steady with. If Sesshomaru proves to be the same, I will not hesitate to take you from him." He stated bluntly.

It took me a minute to get the alcohol far enough from my brain to interpret what he had said. I looked at him in shock. It scared me, how easily he could say that. This was the "party" telling everyone our intention of getting mated, and here he was saying that he would take me if Sesshomaru found another. Isn't he supposed to encourage us? I'm very confused now.

"There is no need to be confused. I am letting you know what will happen if Sesshomaru lets you go, even for the slightest moment. I am sure the other lords would do the same if they were not already mated. Some audacious ones would even try to put you in their court."

"Thank you for letting me know this, but I believe it is time for me to return to the event. " I said as I walked past him

Even doing that sent a chill down my back. Were the people here even truly reveling, or were they scouting for a new thing to call their own?

**A/N: Hey guys… been a while hasn't it? Sorry for the huge hiatus, but it's Christmas Break! XD  
>I'll try really hard to get some more of this story out! Thanks to all the people that stayed with me, and to those who still fav. Or followed the story even though it hadn't been updated in a really long time. I really do appreciate all of the support, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Hopefully, I'll have another chapter up tomorrow!<strong>


	5. Unexpected Plans

I drank a cup of water. I'd still have a hangover, but it wouldn't be as bad. The party had ended and everyone had gone to wherever they were going. I just wanted to forget half of the night. Sesshomaru had already tortured what the northern lord had said to me out, and confirmed that it was not uncommon. As it would turn out, this part of the mating process was basically a huge test to see if the relationship was even worthwhile. I sat in bed, yawning as I started to fall asleep. When I finally did, I had a good night's sleep for the most part. Waking up was different. My head pounded, and I felt as though I hadn't eaten in days.

After bathing and brushing my teeth, I went outside to get some air. I needed a miracle for this headache. Jeez it's ridiculous. After doing that, I turned around to go back inside, only to stop a few inches away from Sesshomaru. He stared at me before looking around.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"You have yet to go beyond the castle walls." He stated.

"What of it?"

"Would you like to?"

"Really? You would let me?" I said with excitement finding its way into my voice. "What is the catch?"

He raised an eyebrow. He was still getting used to my speech, just as I am learning routines and understood concepts.

"What must happen in order for this to occur?"

"I will escort you."

"What must happen in order for this to occur?"

"I will escort you."

"Personally?"

"Yes."

"Did you eavesdropping in when I was talking to InuYasha and Kagome?"

It is not eavesdropping when you speak loud enough for the entire castle to hear."

"Fine, fine. You weren't eavesdropping." I agreed. "Are there any restrictions I should know ahead of time?"

"Do not accept anything that I have not confirmed to be safe."

"Agreed! When are we going?"

"This afternoon."

"I could barely contain my squeal of joy.

"It is not eavesdropping when you speak loud enough for the entire castle to hear."

"Fine, fine. You weren't eavesdropping." I agreed. "Are there any restrictions I should know ahead of time?"

"Do not accept anything that I have not confirmed to be safe."

"Sounds legit." I agreed. "Oh, I can't wait! What should I wear?"

Sesshomaru walked with me. It was nice to have him there, listening to me ramble since he's not exactly a conversation starter. He would stare at me sometimes, maybe raise an eyebrow. If I was lucky, I'd get a small chuckle. That chuckle is no joke. It's the sexiest chuckle I have heard in my life. Oh my Gees, that chuckle. It sends shivers down my back like a cold winter's breeze on a December's night.

Sesshomaru took my moment of fangirling and used it to his advantage. He stole a kiss from me in the courtyard. I was starting to get used to these public displays of affection. Sure, I still blushed and all, but at least I didn't make a huge fuss out of it. It took me quite some time to adapt to it, even after coming back. Heck, I still remember the funniest reaction I had. It actually made me chuckle. Seeing the Sesshomaru's face in reaction to my chuckle showed that he wanted to know what I was laughing at. Well, I wouldn't tell him. I took his hand with both of mine and led him forward.

I was elated. To think Sesshomaru would take Kagome and InuYasha's "advice", at least that's what I'll call it. After holding his hand for a while, he had to go finish his work for the day. I took the time to go find something to wear. It was going to be my first time actually going into the town and not just through it. The maids helped me pick out a light blue kimono with a white obi. It wasn't too fancy, but it was a new look. I left my hair as it was though. I'm not going to go through all of that. It was fine the way it was. I wasn't going to sit in a chair for around twenty minutes just so they could brush my hair straight. I understand Rin's pain now. Would Rin be coming with us? No, she has lessons this afternoon. I bet she would have loved to come out with us.

I waited in my room, blowing the strands of hair that fell in my face away. I let out a sigh before tapping my fingers and humming out Again by Yui. Since I took a Japanese class, I actually kind of knew what I was humming. And at that moment, I remembered that the artist that wrote the last opening for Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood also wrote some openings for Black Butler, and from the thought of Black Butler, my mind pictured Sebastian. Oh my goodness, Sebastian. He's voiced by the same guy that does Kyoya from Ouran High School Host Club! Before I could start fangirling crazily, I thought.

'Is it okay for me to be fangirling over these characters now? I mean, I have Sesshomaru…' [Me]

**That doesn't mean you can't think of the others. Let them live in your head, with us. [I]**

'Wouldn't it get cramped? I mean, there's me, you, and Myself, then there's Beast, Sadness, Sorrow, Conscience (unfortunately)… the Seven deadly ones, moral, common sense, curiosity… fright-' [Me]

_I'm sure you've proven your point. [Myself]_

**I didn't mean it like us, live in your head. I meant like you can still cherish the memory. Fangirling isn't the same as being in love, love. Remember, when you first fell in love with Sesshomaru, you were surprised. [I]**

_You fell in love, love after spending some time with him. [Myself]_

'You're right.' [Me]

**You're damn right we're right. [I]**

By the time I stopped conversing with myself, around thirty minutes passed. My internal clock said so. I laid down on the bed and decided to get some rest. That was a great way to pass time, and there's no harm done in sleeping. I stayed awake in bed for a couple of minutes thinking about nothing before I fell asleep.


End file.
